He's the ideal two-hole hitter!
At least, that's the common conception based on the way that managers have always filled out their lineups. But there are arguments that there are better ways to construct your lineup, ways that, by and large, most managers don't utilize.
Sabermetricians (henceforth to be referred to as NERDS in a loving manner, for I do appreciate the NERDS and would consider myself a bit of one when it comes to baseball) used years worth of data to determine whether or not the way that lineups are put together really is the optimal way to do things.
Turns out they aren't, at least not according to the data.
For instance, it's long been accepted that you put your best hitter third in the lineup. Well, the data shows that you're probably better off batting them second as they'll have a lot more at bats with runners on base there. In fact, nobody comes to bat with two outs and no runners on more often than your three hitter, so in a way you're wasting your best hitter there.
So what would the best White Sox lineup be using this NERD approach? With the lineup as currently constructed (Rick Hahn could trade for Mike Trout while I'm writing this), here's my best guess as to what the NERD OPTIMIZED White Sox lineup should look like.
1. Adam Eaton
The NERDS say that OBP is king here. More so than speed, though speed is nice. You don't need somebody who can steal bases as much as you just need a guy that gets on base. Adam Eaton gets on base, and his speed is a bonus as he's capable of scoring from first on a double or second on a single, and those are important characteristics considering who we have coming to the plate behind him.
2. Jose Abreu
As I said above, the NERDS feel this is where your best hitter should be. Over the course of a full season your second hitter will have more at bats with runners on than the guy in the third spot. So you want your best hitter here to take advantage of those opportunities. The White Sox don't have a hitter better than Jose Abreu. Not many teams do.
3. Avisail Garcia
It turns out your three-hitter isn't all that important. He's going to hit with runners on base less often than your four and five hitters. So the reason I'm putting Avisail here is that it's a "prestige" spot to make him feel good about himself, but he also hasn't proven to be a great hitter yet. So why not put him here to make him feel important, even if he isn't?
4. Adam LaRoche
The NERD school of thought doesn't really change much here. This is still a spot you want to put your best hitter with power that isn't Jose Abreu. Until Avisail Garcia proves otherwise, that person is Adam LaRoche.
5. Melky Cabrera
This is the spot you want to put your fourth-best hitter after you've filled the 1, 2 and 4 spots in the lineup. That's Melky Cabrera. Melky doesn't have a ton of power, but that's not too important here. You just want a guy that can hit and get on base. Considering Melky's career numbers, and the fact he doesn't strike out too often, he seems like the perfect fit here. Melky should go five-hole, not two-hole!
6. Micah Johnson/Carlos Sanchez
This could change depending on who our second baseman is, but while the NERDS will tell you that, for the most part, your six through nine hitters aren't all that important (as far as order is concerned), you could really take advantage of the six spot by putting a speed guy here. One who doesn't justify being placed higher in the lineup. The thought process is that with all the singles hitters at the bottom of the lineup, having a guy with speed on base ahead of them can lead to more runs. So Micah Johnson could be really valuable here with his speed and base stealing potential.
7. Alexei Ramirez
Alexei won a Silver Slugger last year, but I think that was more reflective of the quality of shortstops as hitters than it was Alexei himself. Not saying that to knock his performance, but I'd expect to see more seasons in line with Alexei's 2012 and 2013 performances than his 2014 effort. He's not getting younger.
8. Conor Gillaspie
Conor got off to a great start last year, but things regressed toward the mean quite a bit down the stretch. He's a contact guy that doesn't strike out a ton, but doesn't really walk all that often either. There's a reason we all think the Sox went into the winter looking to upgrade at third base. So this spot seems right.
9. Tyler Flowers
Do I really need to explain this one? Tyler isn't a great hitter, but once in a while he runs into one. Hopefully some of the contact hitters ahead of him here will be on base when he does.
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